As the EU enters a period of reflection after the UK referendum, some of its members seem to be moving towards a more variable geometry under which they seek to align by regional affinity.

Ahead of the Bratislava summit next week (16 September), when heads of state and government are gathering to discuss the post-Brexit union, a number of groups are either appearing or strengthening in the EU household.

MED boys

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has invited the leaders of Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, Cyprus and Malta to meet in Athens on Friday (9 September) to form a strategic alliance of like-minded leaders.

At a meeting of socialist leaders yesterday (25 August), French President François Hollande pleaded against the rise of populism. He also announced his participation in another summit of the EU’s southern countries in Athens, on 9 September. EurActiv France reports.

The meeting in the Greek capital is expected to push for growth and investment, against the rigor preached by northern Europe, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel leading the way.

With Brexit, it is clear that southern Europe feels reinforced, even if the political situation in these countries prevents the union from exercising the influence it seeks to have.

Greece, Italy and France are massively in debt and heavily dependent on northern European member states. For Spain, which has been unable to form a government for more than six months, the union of the southern EU isn’t able to exercise its influence yet.

In a move to take advantage of Britain leaving the EU, Flanders, over the summer, touted the idea of reviving efforts to forge a new North Sea union, in order to intensify cooperation and economic development.

Similar initiatives in recent years to strengthen ties between Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway have failed to take off. Geert Bourgeois, prime minister of the autonomous region, said that was partly because all of those except Norway already shared EU status.

With Britain leaving the European Union, its neighbours and historic trading partners in Flanders think it is time to revive efforts to forge a new North Sea union to tighten links around shared waters.

The European Union requires reforms “to bring it closer to its citizens”, Szydło said, without elaborating.

“The Brexit vote has shaken the foundations of the European Union and is causing member states to re-evaluate their positions within the bloc — the Visegrad states are no exception,” said analysts.

“For them, the EU should be a conduit for political, economic and security cooperation but should not infringe on the sovereignty of national governments. Thus, all four Visegrad states supported the calls of former British Prime Minister David Cameron to repatriate power from the European Union and to allow national parliaments more authority to veto EU decisions,” said Stratfor’s Eugene Chausovsky.

Speaking to Brussels journalists on a press trip to Bratislava, the Slovak premier, and his foreign minister, shed light on their ambitions for steering the Union for the next six months, and laying the groundwork for a rethink of the EU, following the shock of the UK referendum.

“Now that the United Kingdom will be leaving the union, the Visegrad states are likely to take over from Cameron in making similar demands.”

In the same vein, Yves Bertoncini of the Jacques Delors institute told EurActiv.com that the EU could run the risk of demise if there would be a formalisation of such inner unions within the bloc.

Mentioning the BENELUX and the Nordic Union, which are formalised groups but don’t coordinate activities, ahead of the European Council, Bertoncini seems to think the MED alliance will be a possible alliance.

“You can add to these light patterns like Merkel, Hollande, Renzi and before Merkel, Sarkozy, Monti. You can add the six founding members that are seeing each other more often with the upcoming sixtieth anniversary of the Treaty of Rome,” Bertoncini added.

But the caveat is not in these loose alliances, but in the more ‘worrying’ Visegrad.

“The Visegrad countries are in a logic of the Alamo fort desperadoes. They can also go and look for money in China or Russia. They can enter in a logic of stowaway, who would block the system,” Bertoncini added.

Take the posted workers directive as an example. France and other like-minded countries are trying to revise it. But the Visegrad countries and pulling Central European countries in trying to come up with a blocking minority. “This can prevent the EU to function properly.”

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‘Members seem to be moving towards a more variable geometry under which they seek to align by regional affinity’

Translation: ‘The break up of the EU has begun’.

And I am so very very very proud that in my small Brexit way I’ve helped to bring about the demise of this appalling ill-conceived antidemocratic unaccountable institution.

The quicker it is thrown into the dungheap of history the better. I spit on it.
.

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CedricH

28/11/2016 07:52

Vote Le Pen , Viva la France libre

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James

08/09/2016 10:24

I think you could add another risk too – the UK may end up just trying to create close links to the US, Canada, Australia and so on and that is also probably a very attractive prospect for Ireland too which tends to see itself as being “mid-Atlantic” and has had debates about whether it’s “closer to Boston or Berlin”. Ireland and Britian both play the role of sitting somewhere between the European and North American worlds. It’s inevitable as both countries share vast amounts of cultural, linguistic and historical connections with North America. Some kind of global Anglophone community… Read more »

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CedricH

28/11/2016 08:03

English is a language that binds many countries of the world today. Definitely shed the Commonwealth . England may have been mother but at times a harsh one. But a mother never the less. Build on that UK. We shall See what develops…………….Canada

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an european

08/09/2016 10:50

I guess some believers here will get some very bad surprise !
It simply won’t exist a multiple “Unions” !! There is only one Union 28 included the Eurozone 19 !
Why 28 England is still deeply IN !
Nothing has changed unlike gleefully idiots who wants to believe themselves and others !
But what is highly possible to happen is the UK splitt ! Scotland is leaving soon the british Union !

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James

08/09/2016 10:59

I really wouldn’t be so sure anymore. I would never have thought that a few years ago but after the 2008 financial collapse and all the extreme uncertainty I’ve experienced in terms of how precarious some of these institutions really are, I don’t think anything is certain. I never thought Brexit would happen and really from my point of view here in Ireland, that changes absolutely everything. The UK is extremely unlikely to split internally in reality. When push comes to shove, Scotland would suffer a far bigger economic shock from a break from the UK than the UK would… Read more »

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an european

08/09/2016 13:39

“The UK is extremely unlikely to split internally in reality” ! Agree with you James ! However there are no much options if she still wants Scotland to remain in the U.K then Mss May must then respect a 2nd referendum of the petition of 4Mio signatures of England which could be mean – Full in again ! Some Voters keenly admitted having voted mistakenly without further details ! IF she still pushes for Brexit then i fear the free trade won’t be anymore possible. You cannot be in and out the same time ?!? Is Brexit negociation so stupid… Read more »

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Latimer Alder

08/09/2016 13:46

‘Mss May must then respect a 2nd referendum of the petition of 4Mio signatures of England which could be mean – Full in again !’

Forget it pal. The 17,4760,714 who actually voted in a referendum trump any 4 million folks who just clicked on a link. it ain’t going to happen.

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an european

08/09/2016 14:43

Dude ! Tell May i! She takes THIS consideration as well before suggesting more harms to Britain and E.U. and their citizens !

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Latimer Alder

08/09/2016 14:53

Lost me sport. What should I tell Mrs May?

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Latimer Alder

08/09/2016 11:01

‘Scotland is leaving soon the british Union !’

Any evidence? Opinion polls? Referenda? Votes?

Or just fantasising?

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James

08/09/2016 11:49

I would just be careful of arrogant views in general. European countries aren’t US states or German Landern. If the EU is to be a success it has to marry the idea of national sovereignty and European cooperation. The notion that the EU could or should replace national sovereignty is a bridge too far for a lot of countries’ electorates and that is where it’s starting to hit a brick wall. I don’t want to see the whole thing unravel but I do think it needs an agreed, accepted direction and boundaries. This idea that an “ever closer union” is… Read more »

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Latimer Alder

08/09/2016 13:44

‘if the EU is to survive it needs a lot more humility and a lot more flexibilitiy’

And it’ll grant a licence to those nice guys at Porcine Aviation. Paid for in rocking horse sh*t.

The EU, its institutions and its lickspittle toadies aren’t capable of humility and flexibility Humility is for ‘the people’ who they so delight in demeaning and ignoring. While flexibility is unheard of. The Project is all.

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Elvin Eastwood

08/09/2016 19:56

unlike Greece the UK has teeth to bite back with.

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Elvin Eastwood

08/09/2016 19:57

its been a 400 year old argument and Scotland is still part of the union.

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CedricH

28/11/2016 08:09

Scottish zealot Sturgeon is in contempt of her own people for wanting to hand over control of her own people to Germany who was trying to bomb them into submission in 1940.

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Iwantout

08/09/2016 11:56

Is this what they call “united in diversity”?

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Jay

08/09/2016 14:50

The EU dike appears to have sprung another leak: Danish premier to defy EU with tough asylum law

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James

08/09/2016 15:01

Did I say I hate the EU? No I did not. Please at least read my post before twisting what I said. So Greece was caused by completely appropriate interest rates and system for dealing with the aftermath of a fiscal bubble was made available and nobody remotely started ranting and raving about lazy Greeks and so on… I must have been living in a different dimension and reading parallel universe papers at the time. Not everyone agrees with the federalist model and and just ranting that they hate the EU because they don’t agree with it is actually one… Read more »

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Latimer Alder

08/09/2016 15:21

‘Not everyone agrees with the federalist model and and just ranting that they hate the EU because they don’t agree with it is actually one of the major reasons why you’re seeing a rise of Euroscepticism.’

..and the total contempt for democracy that the EU is built upon.

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Elvin Eastwood

08/09/2016 19:52

I don’t mind saying I hate the EU institution…. and all the not right in heads.. in it.